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In 1927, following the completion of Parliament House,
the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library moved to Canberra. Throughout
1926 preparations for the move of over 100 000 books were being made.
Although the actual packing of the books was time-consuming, transportation
proved to be the more pressing problem.
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Site
being cleared for Parliament House Canberra 1920s
photograph
Pictorial Collection |
Andrew
Osborn (left) with two unknown men. First box of books loaded in
removal of Library to Canberra 1926
photograph
Pictorial Collection
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William
James Mildenhall (fl. 1921–1962)
Library staff awaiting the arrival of material from Melbourne
1927
photograph
Mildenhall Collection
Pictorial Collection
(Kenneth Binns far left, Harold White third from left)
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Kenneth
Binns was in charge of the move and described the complex stages of conveying
the books from Parliament House, Melbourne to Parliament House, Canberra:
They
went by lorry from Parliament House, Melbourne to Spencer Street. There
they were transferred by special rail truck, but this truck was a Melbourne
or Victorian rail truck with a 5ft 3in gauge, and could not go on the
New South Wales section, which is 4 ft 8in. This involved retrucking at
Albury. From Albury they went by rail to Queanbeyan, which is the nearest
town to Canberra … on the Melbourne–Sydney railroad. Fortunately, all
that had to be done was to transfer the 70 or 80 cases which at last reached
Queanbeyan but were not, of course, as yet even in Commonwealth territory.
Queanbeyan retrucked them to the siding at Canberra for a rail siding
was the only rail provision then existing in the national territory, and
this rail siding was about four to five miles from Parliament House.
Kenneth
Binns Oral History, 1967
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